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(No Model.)

J. A. PIERCE.

MAIL POUCH PASTENER. No. 462,774. Patented Nov. 10,1891.

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Nirn STATES ATENT FricE.

JONATHAN A. PIERCE, OF AUSTIN, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGNMENTS, OF FIVE-EIGIITI-IS TO LYMAN D. BAIRD, OF SAME PLACE, ANDHARRISON ALLEN, OF \VASIIIN lrTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

MAIL-POUCH FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,774, dated November10, 189] Application filed June 27, 1890.

T wZZ whom it ntay concern.

Be it known that I, JONATHAN A. PIERCE, of Austin,Mower county,Minnesota, have invented certain Improvements in Mail-Bags, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the attachments to ordinarymail'bags, its object being to provide improved means for securing thestaples of the bag, to avoid the trouble of threading a strap throughall of the staples in locking up the bag and unthreading the same whenthe bag is unlocked.

To this end my invention consists in the construction and combinationhereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a front elevation of the top of a mail-bag with the closing-flapturned upward, showing the staples upon the flap and apertures or slotsfor the staples in the front side of the bag. Fig. 2 is a verticalcrosssection of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of thestaple-securing hooks and their operating-strap. Figs. 4 and 5 aredetail plan views of one of the hooks shown in different positions. Fig.6 is a crosssection of the same, and Fig. 7 isa detail perspective viewof one of the loops or staples 0 intermediate of the hooks through whichthe operating-strap is passed.

In the drawings, 2 represents the front side of the bag, 3 the rearside, and 4 the flap, which is an extension of the rear side and is 5adapted to fold over uponthe front side, so as to close the opening atthe top of the bag. Upon the inside of the flap at is arranged a seriesof apertures or slots 6 in such position that the staples of the flapwill pass through the slots when the flap is turned down.

Upon the rear side of the bag and permanently secured thereto is aseries of cylindrical cases 7, each provided with a notch .78, whichregisters with one of the apertures 6 so that the staple when passedthrough the aperture extends also through the notch. Secured in each ofthese cases upon a pivot 15 is a circular hook or bolt 9, which isadapted when turned to pass through and secure the Serial No. 357,010.(No model.)

staple as it extends through the aperture.

slide to and fro in the cases and held between the cases by means of thestaples or loops 1.1. This strap is secured to each of the hooks bymeans of a pin 12, which extends through a radial slot 13 in the body ofthe hook, ahead 14 upon the pin preventing its being withdrawn from theslot. The slot and pin are so arranged with reference to each other thatwhen the strap is slipped to and fro the pin willtravel in the slot andat the same time turn the hook on its pivot, as shown best in detail,Figs. el and 5, thus carrying the hook through the staple or withdrawingit therefrom. One end of the strap 10 is provided with a-lateralextension 16, having a slot 17, adapted to fit over the staple 18, whichmay be similar to and form one of the series of staples 5, it beingpreferably secured to the flap in the same manner as the other staples.The strap is secured upon the staple 18 by means of an ordinary padlock19,the position of its slot 17 being such that when the strap is thussecured the hooks 9 are turned so as to engage the staples 5. Thedifferent positions of the hooks as operated by their strap is shownclearly in Figs. 4 and 5, the full lines of Fig. 4E representing theposition of the hooks when disengaged from the staples, and the dottedlines when turned so as to engage the staples. The full lines in Fig. 5represent the position of the hook when half opened or turned, and thedotted lines when closed or hooked through the staples. The hooks areall simultaneously operated by pulling upon one end or other of thestrap, as the case may be,when it is free from the staple 18.

Operation: The bag being closed and the staples projecting through theside of the bag, the strap 10 is pulled toward the left, as shown inFig. 3, thus turning all of the hooks on their pivots and carryingthemthrough the staples, so as to secure them. The strap is then securedin place by passing the extension-piece 10 over the staple 18 andfastening it by means of the lock 19. In opening the bag, the lock 1 9being removed and the extension-piece 16 slipped off its staple, thestrap is drawn outward or toward the right, as shown in Fig. 3,thusturning all of the hooks 9 upon their pivots in a reverse direction anddisengaging them from the staples, the pins 12 sliding in the slots 13as the hooks are turned on their pivots to permit the strap 10 to movein a right line to and fro.

I clain1- 1. In a mail-bag having a closing-flap provided with staplesadapted to pass through apertures in the sides of the bag, thecombination of a series of cylindrical cases secured upon said bag,having notches therethrough registering with said apertures, a series ofpivoted hooks inclosed in said cases and adapted to pass through saidnotches above said apertures and provided with radial slots, a strapextending through openings in the walls of said cases and provided withpins engaging said slots, by means of which the strap as reciprocatedserves to operate said hooks to engage and disengage said staples, andmeans for securing said strap when said hooks are in position to engagesaid staples, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a mail-bag having staples attached to one side and passing throughaperturesin the other, the combination of a series of hooks pivoted tothe bag and provided with radial slots, a strap carrying a series ofbeaded pins passing through said slots and operating said hooks. toengage and disengage said staples, and a series of cases for said hooksprovided with openings therethrough to receive said staples and saidstrap, substantially as described.

In a mail-bag having a closing-flap provided with a series of staplesadapted to pass through apertures in the front and rear sides of thebag, the combination of a series of circular hooks pivoted to the bag,having radial slots, and adapted to engage the staples when passedthrough said apertures, a reciprocating strap having pins engaging saidslots and adapted to operate said hooks to engage and disengage saidstaples, closing-cases for said hooks having apertures to receive saidstrap, and a series of loops secured to said bag intermediate of saidcases to hold and guide said strap, substantially as described.

JONATHAN A. PIERCE.

Witnesses:

L. D. BAIRD, F. W. KINNEY.

